"Yes. He gave me his address. "The Golden Crown, Portworth, Tavistock" trout fishing. Incidentally I have verified this by one of our local branches. He was there the whole time."
"Well, Sir John, in about a week"s time I"ll report to you. In the meanwhile say nothing to anybody."
"What am I to tell my solicitors to do?" a little perplexedly.
She laughed merrily.
"Oh, come, Sir John, you don"t want to throw in your hand yet! Instruct "em to say that you repudiate all liability. After all, if you have to climb down still, let"s hope you won"t!"
In a comfortably-furnished room in the Inner Temple four men sat round a table talking. Just an ordinary room, but certainly no ordinary men, these four. Actually, you could have found them all in Who"s Who.
The big, tanned, curly-haired, merry-eyed giant, who sat next to the empty chair at the head of the table, was none other than James Ffolliott Plantagenet Trevitter, only son of the Earl of Winstanworth Eton and Oxford, with half a page of athletic records added. Next to him, lounging a little in his chair, thin, lean, bronzed, almost bored-looking, with his gold-rimmed monocle, sat Sir Hugh Williamson, most intrepid of explorers. Opposite to him, elderly, grey-haired, almost benevolent-looking, Allan Sylvester, the best-loved actor-manager in England. And lastly, leaning forward talking, a smile on his clean-cut handsome face, Martin Everest, K.C., the greatest criminal barrister in England.
And these were the four Adjusters . . .
The clock on the mantelpiece chimed out the hour, and as it did so the door opened and the four men rose to their feet, as Daphne Wrayne stood in the doorway.
"Well, Peter Pan!" exclaimed Sylvester.
"Well, you dear Knights!"
Very lovely she looked as she came forward, and her eyes were for all of them. But it was Lord Trevitter who, as if by tacit understanding, helped her off with her cloak and put her into her chair. Very naturally, yet quite openly too, she slipped her hand into his and let it stay there. But the other three only smiled indulgently though their smiles spoke volumes. You felt, somehow, that they had known her from childhood looked on her now almost as a beloved child. That even if she had signalled out Trevitter as indeed she had she loved none of them less dearly for that.
"Oh, it"s great to be here!" she exclaimed with shining eyes. "I can still hardly believe it"s true."
"It"s a wonderful stunt," murmured Everest thoughtfully.
"We"ve been lucky, Martin," answered the girl. "If it hadn"t been for the d.u.c.h.ess"s pearls-"
"And then you giving an interview to the Monitor" chimed in Lord Trevitter. "That was the master stroke, Daph."
"Well, it was just the right moment, Jim. Having had a big success, it seemed to me to be the very wisest thing to do."
"By Jove it was, my dear," chuckled Sylvester. "It couldn"t have come at a better time. If you"d given it before, the public would only have scoffed. But as we had recovered that necklace they couldn"t afford to scoff."
"Incidentally," remarked the girl, "the d.u.c.h.ess sent us a cheque for 500."
"Good for her," said Lord Trevitter. "I suppose you"ve "
"Oh, of course, Jim! Anonymously, needless to say."
"Quite right," murmured Everest. "Well, what"s the big idea this evening?"
"How do you know I"ve got one?"
"Listen to her!" exclaimed Williamson. "Breaking off a dance at twelve o"clock and keeping us out of our beds-"
"But it"s rather a puzzling one, Hugh," interrupting him. "We shall want all our ingenuity to get home this time."
"Splendid! Let"s have it, my dear."
Leaning forward in her chair, slim hands clasped, Daphne Wrayne outlined the story to them. Then, as she came to the end: "But I can add a good deal to this. It seemed obvious to me from the start that there was no double at all it was just a ruse, carefully planned."
"Particularly why, Daph?" queried Lord Trevitter.
"The signature, Jim, alone. In a forgery of this size your forger never makes a mistake with the signature. It"s miles too risky. Besides, a.s.suming that it was Gorleston himself, look at all there is to support the idea? If they detect the flaw in the signature they can"t collar him it"s merely a slip. But if it gets by, what happens then? Why the bank"s in the cart and they"re liable for carelessness."
"You"re a true woman, my dear," smiled Everest. "Jump to a conclusion first and fit your facts to it afterwards."
Daphne pouted adorably.
"I hate you, Martin," she said. "Still, I was right."
"You"re sure?" demanded Williamson.
"Absolutely. All the same, as my legal friend here will tell you," laying her hand on Everest"s arm with a smile, "it"s going to be very difficult to prove. However, let me first give you all the facts I have."
She paused for a moment to light a cigarette, and they all waited eagerly.
"I sent Rayte up to interview Adwinter," she went on, "and established pretty satisfactorily that a man wearing gla.s.ses and answering in all other descriptions to Gorleston called there recently in the name of John Elwes, of 124, Unwin Street, Bloomsbury. He wanted new gla.s.ses and got them. So to Unwin Street, where apparently John Elwes has had a bedroom and sitting-room for over a year. Now, according to his landlady he is a man of no occupation who used to come once or twice a week and stay the night there. He turned up there, on the day the forgery was committed, at 2.15 in the afternoon note the time stayed a few minutes, during which he told his landlady he was going to the bank, got into his taxi saying he"d look in in a few days" time. He has never been near there since."
She paused a moment to relight her cigarette, which had gone out. Then she went on.
"Now as regards Gorleston. Gorleston"s been stopping, as he declared, at the Golden Crown, Portworth, two miles out of Tavistock. Every morning he"s breakfasted at eight and gone out, with his lunch, till ten o"clock at night. Now on the day that this forgery is supposed to have been committed Gorleston swears he was fishing all day. But the curious fact turns up that a ticket collector at Tavistock who is a fisherman himself, and who had apparently seen Gorleston fishing there that week swears that he saw him on that particular day going up to London on the 9.11. The booking clerk can"t help us, but it"s funny that there was only one return ticket to London issued that day. Funnier still that the return half should have been given up that evening, and funniest of all that Gorleston should have come in on that night the only one to say that he had had a blank day."
"How can you fix the day, Daph?"
"It was a brilliantly fine day, Martin, and the people at the Inn remember it as strange because two other men staying there had had big catches."
"And the trains? How do they fit in?"
"The 9.11 gets to town at 1.56. A taxi would take him to Bloomsbury at 2.15 a.m.; would get him to the bank at 2.30 the time we know he was there. While another one would give him the 3.16 to land him at Tavistock at 8.41."
"If you could only find the taxi man who drove him " began Sylvester, but Daphne cut him short.
"Oh, I have, Allan! He remembers it well. Described his fare as tall and thin, wearing horn-rimmed gla.s.ses. Drove him to Unwin Street and waited a few minutes. Then to the bank, where he was given a ten-shilling note and dismissed."
"Seems to me," said Lord Trevitter, "that you"ve proved it up to the hilt."
But Everest shook his head.
"Circ.u.mstantially, Jim," he said, "it"s excellent. But it"s not a good case to go to a jury with. Brief me for Gorleston and I"ll find a hundred flaws."
"I was afraid you"d say that, Martin," said Daphne, a little ruefully.
"I don"t want to say it, dear, but I must. Mind you, I haven"t the slightest doubt from all you"ve told me that John Elwes has never existed, but I"m equally certain that even with the evidence you"ve got, it"s going to be hard to establish. You see, who"s going to prove that the taximan"s pa.s.senger was Gorleston from Tavistock? It might have been John Elwes from, say, Surbiton! Frankly, it"s a very clever fraud that has got home and looks like staying home. He"s got overwhelming evidence that he was at Tavistock, and all that we can produce is a ticket collector who"s only seen him once or twice. While he, Gorleston, can produce a hundred intimate pals who will swear that he has never worn spectacles, and a thousand or two cheques all bearing his accurate and original signature. No, no, it won"t do!"
"Of course there is another way," murmured Daphne thoughtfully, "but the question is, will you agree to it?"
The four men exchanged glances.
"It"s one of Peter Pan"s very choicest, right off the ice!" smiled Sylvester. "Now I"ll lay anyone a quid-"
"Oh, Allan!" laughing and blushing. "Don"t be a beast! All right, I"ll tell you then. You can laugh at me afterwards."
But there was little laughter in their faces as she talked.
When she had finished Lord Trevitter threw back his head and laughed like a schoolboy.
"Daphne, you"re a marvel!" he exclaimed. "My dear, how do you think of these things?"
"Is it good, Jim?"
"Good?" echoed Everest. "It"s glorious, magnificent! Of course, he may not fall for it, but if he"s guilty I believe he will. If, on the other hand, he"s innocent, well we"re no worse off than we were before."
"I"m in this, mind!" exclaimed Williamson.
"We"re all in it, the four of us!" answered Lord Trevitter, with his boyish laugh. "Another success for the Adjusters!"
"Oh, I"m so glad you like my idea!" exclaimed the girl. "Let"s thrash it out!"
Richard Henry Gorleston was entirely pleased with himself. As he sat in a West End restaurant eating his dinner he smiled complacently to himself. Twenty-five thousand pounds for nothing, he told himself, was the finest day"s work he had ever done. His solicitors, furthermore, had hinted to him that the bank, rather than court publicity, would settle with him. He signed to his waiter and ordered himself another bottle of champagne and a Corona.
"Have you any objection to my sitting here?"
A suave, smiling, elderly gentleman with white hair and gold-rimmed pince-nez was standing at the table, hesitating, but Gorleston answered his smile cheerfully.
"Not a bit in the world. Crowded here to-night."
"Somewhat. I don"t know my London well. I"m from the country North Wales. My annual trip to London. I come up once a year, I see all the sights. And," with a smile, "I have a little opportunity to indulge my pet hobby billiards."
Gorleston was interested in a moment.
"Funny that," he said. "It"s a particular hobby of mine, and "
They were hard at it in a moment. Finally, when the stranger, who volunteered his name as Professor Lucas, called for his bill, Gorleston ventured to suggest that he and his new friend should adjourn for a game.
They played several games. The Professor was charmed with his new acquaintance and pressed him to dine with him the following evening. Gorleston accepted with alacrity.
The following evening they met again, but soon after the meal had started the Professor was claimed by three friends of his. He expressed extraordinary surprise at seeing them, introduced them to Gorleston, and insisted on their dining with him. It was a merry dinner, and a considerable amount of wine was consumed. Later on the quintette adjourned this time it was to a pet place of the Professor"s. They had a private room there, and Gorleston trounced the Professor soundly. Then, in boisterous mood, he took on his three friends and administered severe hidings to each of them. So pleased was he that he sent for two magnums of champagne and after trying ineffectually to play with the rest, which he had previously chalked, he subsided gracefully on to the couch. Eventually Gorleston, hopelessly drunk, was a.s.sisted into a taxi. The Professor gave the driver the address of 124, Unwin Street, Bloomsbury Inside the taxi the behaviour of the four men was a little strange, for they proceeded to extract a good many things from the drunken man"s pockets. They also carefully placed a pair of horn-rimmed spectacles on his face!
"Capital!" murmured the Professor as he gazed at the unconscious man. "John Elwes, surely?"
"We"ll hope so," replied one of the others. "We"ll knock up his landlady and if she greets him as such we"re home."
"When will he wake up?"
"About eleven to-morrow," replied the other. "I got that drug from the natives on the West Coast, and I know it backwards. Still, we"ll be on the safe side and turn up at ten o"clock tomorrow."
One hour later the landlady, profuse in her thanks for bringing Mr Elwes home, showed the four men out of 124, Unwin Street. In a quiet street they proceeded to remove beards, moustaches and wigs the Professor becoming Allan Sylvester and his three companions Martin Everest, Sir Hugh Williamson and Lord Trevitter!
"It was a brain-wave of Daphne"s!" chuckled Everest as he lit a cigarette. "We know he"s Gorleston, he knows he"s Gorleston, but his landlady and Adwinter are prepared to swear he"s John Elwes. Besides, he"s in Elwes" rooms in Elwes" bed, all his clothes are marked with Elwes" name, and even his cards are in the name of John Elwes. If I were on the bench," thoughtfully, "I should have to come to the conclusion that he was Elwes."
"Of course, the amusing thing to me," said Williamson, "is that we"ve done it so carefully that even if he can prove he"s Gorleston, he"s in a worse mess. For that establishes definitely that he"s been runnin" a dual personality in order to defraud the bank."
"Ah, but his att.i.tude to-morrow morning will decide that. If he refuses to give in, we may be wrong. But he won"t. He"ll throw up the sponge. You see if he doesn"t."
When Richard Henry Gorleston awoke the next morning he stared dazedly round the room. Then with a startled cry he leapt out of bed. But he stopped short, for at that moment the door opened and two men, complete strangers to him, came into the room, and locked the door.
"Well, John Elwes the game"s up!"
"W w what d"you mean? My name"s not John Elwes!"
"Really! Then may I ask what you"re doing in John Elwes" room, sleeping in John Elwes" bed?" He took a quick step forward, picked up a coat which lay on a chair, glanced at it. "And how come you to be wearing John Elwes" clothes?"
The other gasped.
"John Elwes" clothes?"
"See for yourself! Name in coat name on the shirt name on the collar card case here on the dressing-table" he took it up and examined it, "with John Elwes" cards in it! If you"re not John Elwes, perhaps you"ll not only tell us how you come to be in possession of all his things, but who you are and how you are here."
For a s.p.a.ce of seconds Gorleston glared at him like a rat caught in a trap.
"My name"s Gorleston," he blurted out desperately. "Richard Henry Gorleston. How I got here I don"t know."
The taller of the two men smiled pityingly.
"Come again, sonnie," he answered. "We"re acting on behalf of the Universal Banking Corporation who are rather interested in getting hold of John Elwes for forging Gorleston"s signature to a 25,000 cheque. Adwinter, of Queen Anne Street, will swear to you anywhere, and so will your landlady."
Gorleston moistened his dry lips.
"It"s going to trouble you to prove I"m Elwes," he said.
"It"s going to trouble you to prove you"re not," laughed the other easily. "We"ve got your four pals of last night who swear that while you were drunk you let out the whole story."
"It"s a plant!" Gorleston muttered at length. "A frame-up! You know it!"
"Try that on the magistrate," smiled the other. "Of course, it"s always open to you, when you get to Bow Street, to subpna Gorleston himself. If there is such a strong likeness between the two of you, you might get off that way."
"My dear Allan," chimed in his friend sarcastically, "do think of what he"s told us! He is Gorleston. Though if he can prove it, then Heaven help him, because we can quite easily establish that he is Elwes as well. So all the bank do is to charge him with trying to obtain twenty-five thou" by means of a trick."
"Well, hop it and call a policeman," replied his friend. "I"m sick of all this cackle."
But as the other moved over to the door Gorleston sprang up trembling.
"Can"t we can"t we settle this?" he exclaimed desperately.
The man at the door smiled.